Happy Easter

This morn renews for us that day

When Jesus cast the bonds away,

Took living breath

And conquered death.

"That Easter Morn"

Five a Day is the Healthy Way

Am I the only one who remembers that little song from Elementary School? I generally have no problem getting Joe to eat a variety of fruit, but Joe is a terrible vegetable eater. He will eat raw carrots dipped in ranch. That's it. No other vegetables. I always put some of whatever we are having on his plate, but he won't touch it. I finally decided I need to do something about it.

First, I tried making brownies with spinach in them. While they weren't gross, they weren't good enough to share the recipe. They tasted like bittersweet chocolate, and had a funky aftertaste. Joe did eat one though, so they weren't a complete failure.

Tonight, we had Sweet Potato Pancakes. Recipe found HERE.

sweet-potato pancakes

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup store-bought pancake mix (I just used 1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp baking powder and 1 Tbsp sugar)
• 1 small pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 small sweet potato, boiled, peeled, and mashed (about 1 1/2 cups, I had to use three small potatoes to get this much)

They were a total winner. They turn out very moist (moist, I don't like that word - just say it out loud and tell me you don't agree). Joe ate three pancakes. The recipe makes about twelve. That means he ate 6 Tablespoons of sweet potatoes. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it's .37 c. I call that success.

One other way I've successfully persuaded Joe to consume veggies:

These are great. There is one combined serving of fruits and veggies in each box. They also have 1/3 less sugar than regular fruit juice. Which I think is the fancy way of saying they've watered it down for you a little bit. I don't buy these often, but when I do, Joe loves it.

"Fruits and vegetables, they're okay! Five a day is the healthy way."

Yogurt Sequence

As evidenced by the yogurt all over Will's face, this is not the first bite.

Both boys are thinking this is pretty fun.

Preparing for another bite...

"Hey wait! I though that was mine!"

"I think I'm done, Joe"

And now, he's really done.

Serenade

Will started to sing about a month ago. He thought he was pretty funny, and he knew we were loving it. He doesn't start "singing" until about 30 sec. in on this video because he is still laughing at his last song.

Isn't he a cutie? I wish he would keep on singing instead of doing that screaming thing he's been up to lately.

I think he's getting frustrated that he's not talking. And I will admit I am getting a little tired of it, too. I tell ya, I am ready for some communication. Words. This boy needs to start using them.

Still, I love him to pieces.

Nauvoo Trip

For Zach's Spring Break we decided to take a trip to Nauvoo. It's one of the places we want to go before we move from Omaha (can you believe we have just over a year left?). We just went for two nights, but it was perfect.

Our first stop was the temple.

Joe loves to see "Jesus' House"

My handsome boys

We stayed in this darling little cabin. It had a small, but full kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms. It was perfect! Joe and Will both had a blast exploring their surroundings.

The swing was a big hit too. The weather stayed just nice enough that we were able to see outside things that we wanted to.

It was a great trip minus a few minute where we thought Joe may have gotten a concussion on the carriage ride. He was just fine though after some ice cream.